my poor maggie...

[LovelySydney]

sorry to post about my dog again, but Im not in a chihuahua forum (surprisingly! lol)

maggie has started sneezing, a lot. this came out of nowhere. over the weekend we went for a walk and she could barely do it, she was sneezing the entire time or wheezing. eventually she settled and was fine. however today she is listless and tired, I havent seen her really eat or drink all day, or come to think of it, at all in the past few days. She comes with me to work and has always and today she just slept, didn't react to anyone or anything. She hasn't gone the bathroom although about 45 minutes ago she peed outside for what seemed like 3 minutes (must've held it all day)

Anyway -- I am probably going to take her to the vet in the morning as this is not how my baby acts on a daily basis. Could she have a cold? or is this just reminent of her surgery? This is my first born and I am freaking out!! I want to avoid the vet because right now we just don't have the funds, but obviously if I have to go get antibiotics I will do anything to ensure maggies health.

thanks for listening guys.....this will be my last dog post, I promise. I will find a forum for chi's. I just trust everyone on here and value everyones opinion I figure I couldn't get better advice than here, since everyone has been so unbelievably helpful with Luka and now Gus.

[linda040899]

Our community isn't called Lovebirds "Plus" for no reason. Our main focus is, of course, lovebirds. "Plus" is everything else that might live with our families!

While I can't offer any suggestions as to what the problem might be, prayers and good thoughts are coming your way from my flock here in FL! It sounds like Maggie needs to see your vet and, hopefully, the solution to the problem will be an easy one.

Please let us know how Maggie is doing. Family is family, ya know!

[LovelySydney]

thanks Linda - i really do appreciate it. maggie has been sleeping on me since i got home from work. She wakes up periodically and begins wheezing. It's very scary because its loud and it looks like shes almost suffocating or gasping for breath. Vet is probably a definite in the morning.

[bookworm0550]

awwwww, well, i love animals all around and enjoy hearing stories about others and their pets. i hope maggie feels better soon. hopefully gusgus can help her a bit.

[kimsbirds]

It certainly sounds respiratory...I do hope the vet is able to tell you what is going on...and that treatment is uncomplicated and quick.
Get Well Soon, Maggie!!

[newloviemom]

I can't add any other wisdom here, other than to get Maggie to the vet ASAP!! She is a small dog, and she just had surgery, so it could be a reaction to anesthesia. But i don't really know.
Just know that well wishes and prayers are coming your way from me, Zoe and my shih Tzu, Roxy!! I know the value of these little guys in our hearts and in our homes. I hope Maggie will soon be her old self again!!
Hugs to you and your babies!!
Also--don't ever apologize for posting about Maggie here--she is very welcome here too, and I love hearing about all your kids--feathered and furred!! Please let us know as soon as you can how she is and what you find out!!

[Flapjack]

Poor little girl. I hope she gets better soon. :blush:

[Flip]

Did you take her to the vet? What's the news?

[Tango's_Mom]

How long ago was the surgery? and do I recall you saying it was a spay? it's not abnormal for dogs to be lethargic for a couple days after surgery, and actually is preferable to them bouncing around, is she on any pain meds? she may be lethargic because she's sore, especially since she's so small.
As far as the sneezing/wheezing the first thing I would suspect is what we call kennel cough since she was recently in an environment with other dogs and it's a disease that can be spread before the owner or vet knows it's there. Also the stress of surgery and being away from home would make her more susceptible. It's often seen in dogs boarded in kennels for these reasons, lots of dogs and stress. The good news is that it's easily treated usually without complications, and can be protected against with a vaccine. I would definatly have the vet take a look, but hopefully we can set your mind at ease a little.

Oh and we certainly don't mind hearing and talking about dogs, and I for one have a fair bit more knowledge to offer on them that parrots, being relatively new to the parrot thing but having worked with dogs all my life

[wilkiecoco]

How's Maggie today? What did the vet say? I hope that starts feeling better soon!

[Janie]

Hi, I hope she's doing better. I would definitely call and talk with my vet before taking my dog in unless I was fairly sure she needed to go. I have been with the same vet for over 14 years (two different dogs) so she would give me phone advice when possible.

This could be an allergy, after effects from the surgery (spaying) or a respiratory problem but no matter what, I'd not let it go too long before seeing the vet or at the least talking to the vet by phone to see if the vet thinks your dog needs to be seen.

Hope to hear good news about Maggie soon. No doubt about it, dogs were my first love and will always be my greatest love (and that includes my human kids!). :)

[LovelySydney]

Hi everyone thanks for all the kind words and responses, sorry for the late post its been a busy day.

I took maggie to the vet this afternoon, she kept me up most of the night sneezing and whining. My regular vet wasn't in but I talked to her partner who was the nicest man I've ever met. He took maggies temp, she had a fever and her glands were swollen. He listened to her chest and could hear mucus. It was pretty clear she wasn't breathing well, we could hear her while talking to one another. He said most likely she had a respitory infection. He said he has been seeing it A LOT in our vet, dogs coming and going with the same symptoms. He concluded, since she was never sick before her spay and since he had been seeing this a lot in the building, that she probably got it from her stay last week when she got spayed.

He gave her a shot to bring down her fever and gave me medicine I have to give her for the next week. Since the virus itself needs to be worked out on its own, it cannot be killed by antibiotics, but the meds will bring her appetite back and allow her to be more comfortable. He also gave me some cans of food for her to eat that would allow her stomach to be at ease since he believed she had a sore throat, hence no eating/drinking a lot.


HERE IS THE BEST PART (besides her being OK of course!)

We went out in the waiting room and he told me that he didn't like seeing other pets become sick because of viruses being passed around in his facility and he apologized for maggie being sick. He then told me there would be NO CHARGE FOR ANYTHING and sent me on my way. Can you believe that? I am in the middle of sending him a thank you note right now. In these tough times, every penny counts, and he just saved me a LOT of money.


So yes, maggie is going to pull through, but Im glad I took her in because she WAS becoming very sick. Thanks again everyone!!! = )

[Enko_chan]

Get well soon, Maggie!!

[wilkiecoco]

WOW - that is great news all around. I'm so glad that she is on the road to recovery!! Thanks for the update.

As for that wonderful vet, he obviously acts responsibly, and does it with compassion as well. Kudos to him!! :clap:clap

[Tango's_Mom]

I'm glad everything worked out for you and what a kind and caring vet you have.

[newloviemom]

Awwwww Maggie--Get well soon little one. Me n Zoe n Roxy are sending you get well hugs n skritches n Shih tzu kisses!!

[linda040899]

Thank you for the update on Maggie! At least she's going to be OK.

It was very nice of this vet to admit that Maggie is sick because of something she picked up while at the clinic and not charge you for treatment. I think it was the right thing to do, as we take our pets to see veterinarians so that they can get well, not get sick!

[bbslovie]

Hi, that's the kind of story that warms the heart! Glad to hear Maggie is better and what a kind vet you have, definitely a keeper!

Barb :)